Lysosomes serve as essential organelles in eukaryotic cells, facilitating the
recycling and degradation of cellular waste through the action of hydrolytic enzymes.
This acidic organelle engages with various vesicles, such as phagosomes and
endosomes, to dismantle biomolecules encompassing proteins, lipids, and nucleic
acids. Recent studies have illuminated the function of lysosomes in autophagy, a
process wherein they contribute to the degradation of cellular constituents in response
to stress or periods of starvation. Three main types of autophagic processes,
macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy, use central
mechanisms that help the trafficking of their selective cargo. The activity of lysosomes
is connected with several diseases: lysosomal storage diseases, Parkinson's disease, and
muscular dystrophy are generally caused by either a lack of efficiency of the
autophagosome and lysosome fusion or impairment of lysosome digestion.
Mechanisms of lysosomal regeneration involve Autophagic Lysosome Reformation
(ALR) and Endocytic Lysosome Reformation (ELR), with the presence of essential
functions to maintain lysosomal function. Further knowledge about such processes may
allow for the creation of therapies for neurodegenerative and muscular disorders
characterized by a significant contribution of lysosomal dysfunction.
Keywords: Acidification, Autophagosome, Autophagy, Endocytosis, Endosomes, Hydrolytic Enzymes, Lysosomal Dysfunction, Lysosomes, Lysosomal Membrane Proteins, Neurodegeneration, Phagocytosis, SNARE Proteins.
